The Duchy of Aerik
The Duchy is named for Aerik Ironguard, one of the first settlers in modern days and the founder of Ironguard Motte (q.v.).
The Barrowmoor dominates the Duchy of Aerik. The moor is a vast fetid bog roughly covering a thousand square miles. Within the marsh, an obscuring fog hangs heavily on the landscape and easily disorients travelers. At dusk the fog is nearly impenetrable and the moon casts an eerie glow across the moor. The moor is, so you have heard, nearly impossible to navigate due to the dense and bizarre flora: seven-foot vines, crooked trees and even 'crookeder' paths, deep slimy pools, carnivorous plants and ghoulish creatures who inhabit the seemingly unearthly place.
The Old Dwarf Bridge
Created long ago by the dwarves of the Moon Peaks (q.v.), the Old Dwarf Bridge facilitates trade across the Moorwash River between the dwarves and the human settlements of Ironguard Motte and the small trading town of Helix (q.v.) Although the dwarves still conduct trade occasionally. they have by and large retreated their underground halls, increasingly uninterested in the affairs of men. The bridge itself provides the primary ford across the Moorwash River and is essential to the village of Bogtown (q.v.) Periodically human brigands or monstrous humanoids from the Barrowmoor, the Wyrdwood, or the Moon Peaks (q.v.) have been known to occupy the bridge for a short time and waylay (or demand tolls from) travellers and caravans.
The Merisc and Blackwater Rivers
drain to the forests and plains beyond the duchy. Both rivers appear blackened by peat moss and slowly return to clear water the farther away from the moor. Tales say a large tribe of lizardmen lives in the delta of the murky Blackwater River.
The Moon Peaks are a mountainous range that runs east of the Wyrdwood. A clan of dwarves, the infamous Hammerhands, dwell in the northernmost of these mountains near Bogtown. In their mountain home, they mine metals and trade both raw ore and finished goods (metalware, arms, and armor) to the human settlements by. All non-dwarves are strictly forbidden to stay overnight. Some say a great Roc makes its nest in the southern edge of the mountains.
The Moorwash River empties into the moor. Its waters darken to black due to the peat from rotting vegetation as the river approaches the swamp. Monstrous humanoids such as froglings and lizardmen often use the banks, particularly to the west of the Old Dwarf Bridge, to hide their numbers and strike at caravans and travellers before retreating quickly into their hidden dens.
The Blackened Forest is a dark swampy woodland. Some say the trees have turned black from the peat of the Barrowmoor and others that a greater evil has poisoned the forest. The wood is known to harbor all manner of monstrous creatures. During the spring and summer months the villagers of Helix, accompanied by a group of men-at-arms, attempt to harvest the extremely valuable giant spider silk from the forest. Only a handful of locals possess the skill to weave giant spider silk. Some say the clothing made from the silk possesses unique properties. The majority of the silk harvest is transported by the Silver Standard Merchant Caravan Company to Ironguard Motte. In addition, a white marble ruin––perhaps an ancient temple––is said to exist in the heart of the forest.
The (not so) Secret Shrine of Zargon
Old tales tell of a temple to the forbidden god that can be found in one of the ravines that surround the Moon Peaks. Sages know little else about this mysterious site.
The Thornswild Forest is a rotting, swampy wood choked with vines, thorns, and tangled branches. A small community of black-haired elves is said to live in the forest, who protect their borders against men and lizardmen alike. Little else is known about this woodland.
The Wyrdwood is a dark forest that stands between the Barrowmoor and the Moon Peaks It is a mixed wood: damp and wet closest to the bog and dry forest nearest the mountains. Tribes of neanderthals are said to live in the low caves and roots if the peaks whilst a number of wyverns and one-eyed giants have also been spotted at higher elevations. A small number of elves still patrol the woods, but they have largely abandoned the area to join their kin in the xenophobic arboreal reaches of the Thornswild.
![Image](%5Battachment=0%5Daerik%20map.png%5B/attachment%5D)